The 1982 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, between incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Dick Thornburgh and Democratic

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Allen E. Ertel.

Republican primary

Incumbent Governor Dick Thornburgh ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Steve Douglas, Philadelphia political consultant *

Allen Ertel Allen Edward Ertel (November 7, 1937 – November 19, 2015) was an American politician who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district from 1 ...

, U.S. Representative from Williamsport *Eugene Knox, Northumberland County dentist *Earl McDowell, Fayette County businessman

Results

General election

Campaign

Thornburgh, who maintained high approval ratings during his first term, was initially considered a shoo-in for reelection, especially after the Democrats' top candidate,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

District Attorney (and future governor)

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...

, declined to seek the nomination. Ertel struggled early with fundraising and, because of his residence in heavily Republican Central Pennsylvania, lacked a base among the state's strongest Democratic constituents: urban voters and organized labor. However, as a serious recession hit the state, Ertel campaigned hard against the economic policies of President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, whom Ertel blamed for failing to protect the state's manufacturing sector; Thornburgh was forced to distance himself from Reagan as support for

Reaganomics Reaganomics (; a portmanteau of ''Reagan'' and ''economics'' attributed to Paul Harvey), or Reaganism, refers to the neoliberal economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s. These policies are commonly associat ...

waned. The state's political environment strongly favored Ertel not only because of national issues, but because the governmental cuts undertaken by Thornburgh during his term as governor had caused him to lose the support of several traditionally Democratic-leaning organizations that had once stood by his side, such as the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

and the state's teachers' union. However, Ertel ran a relatively mediocre campaign and hurt his chances with several gaffes, such as accusing the governor of exploiting his disabled son's condition for political gain. Ertel's own mistakes were considered to be a crucial component in Thornburgh's win.

Results

Notes

References

* {{cite book , editor1-last=Ackley , editor1-first=Gayle , editor2-last=Avery , editor2-first=Kris , year=1983 , title=

The Pennsylvania Manual ''The Pennsylvania Manual'' is a biennial guide to the Government of Pennsylvania produced by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) is an agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania ...

, volume=106 , location=Harrisburg , publisher=

Pennsylvania Department of General Services The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) is an agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that supports the core operations of Pennsylvania state government. DGS builds all non-highway Capital projects, procures nearly $4 billion of ...

, isbn=0-8182-0029-4 1982

Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...